2.5 minutes later

This week The Journal spoke to Assistant Information Officer with the Kerry Diocesan Youth Service Marje O’Connor about selling yourself to an employer on that A4 page.

CV layout tips

Cover letter - Your CV should be accompanied by a cover letter. Keep it clear and concise.

For example, in the first paragraph introduce yourself and say you want to apply for the job on offer.

In the next paragraph give a bit about yourself in relation to the position; for example, if it’s a job as a shop assistant, you could mention the fact that you have experience in this area.

Then conclude with a paragraph thanking the prospective employer for considering your application and say that you look forward to hearing from them.

Length - Now for the actual CV. For a student, it really shouldn’t be longer than one page, or two pages max.

Heading - At the top of the page, put ‘Curriculum Vitae’.

Personal details - Personal details should follow: name, address, telephone number and date of birth.

Education - Educational details should come next. But how much information should you give? "Some of the young people like to put their Junior Cert results down, but we’d only say to do this is they were very good," says Ms O’Connor. "We’d normally say the date, name of the school and the qualification." Work experience - Next comes work experience, such as summer or part-time jobs you have had in the past. These should be listed chronologically, starting with the most recent and working backwards, and should include the date, name of the employer and your duties. Keep it simple; if your job was petrol pump attendant, it’s pretty self-explanatory.

If you were a general worker in a bar, just list your duties; for example, glass collecting, cleaning. "Avoid too much flannel," says Ms O’Connor. "Just give the bare outline of your duties. You can expand in the interview." Achievements - If you have any achievements that might be worth mentioning, put them in now. Examples include captaining the school football team or being head of the debating society.

Interests - Hobbies and interests should come next. The more skills based they are the better; noting your interest in computers shows that you are IT literate, while playing rugby proves you can work as part of a team.

One tip, though: if your passion is clubbing till the wee hours, it’s probably best to leave it out.

"Putting socialising down as a hobby is not going to go down great with an employer," explains Ms O’Connor.

References - Finish off with the names and contact details of your referees.

CV sins

Lying in your CV - "Your CV really has to be honest," says Ms O’Connor. "If you’ve never read a book in your life and put reading down as a hobby, you could be asked in the interview about what you’ve read recently. That would show the employer you’re prepared to lie." Spelling, grammatical and typing errors - It has been proven that about 50% of CVs contain typos. These mistakes are careless and, in the world of recruitment, unforgivable. If you can’t put together a CV properly, how can you be trusted to do the job? Spellcheck and proof read carefully.

Being too fussy - The colourful folder might look cute, but it’s probably just going to be tossed into the bin. As for photographs, logos, inappropriate use of colour: forget it. It’s what’s inside that matters. "I think for a school leaver it’s the more simple the better," says Ms O’Connor.

Remember

Presentation - Either just hand in the CV as it is with a staple at the corner if you have more than one page, or put it in a spine binder with a transparent cover and a card back.

Paper and font - Use plain white A4 paper and a clear, legible font, such as Arial 10 or Times New Roman 12. Put section headings in bold.

Chronology is key - When listing previous jobs, start with the most recent and work backwards.

Further info

For further information or help in compiling a CV, you can call into your local youth centre. Alternatively, the following websites may be of use:

Irish Jobs.ie at www.irishjobs.ie/ resource_centre/index.asp Monster.ie at http://content.monster.ie

Doctorjob.com at http://doctor job.com ✪